Past, Present and Future Collage Mobiles

The 5th graders are starting the year with a collage project that asks them to reflect on three questions:  Where have you been?  Where are you now?  Where do you want to go?  They began by sharing their summertime experiences, whether they included travel or simply activities around Chicago.  They then talked about where they hope to go one day.  They learned about how Paul Gauguin traveled to Tahiti all the way from France, and about how he wrote letters and made paintings to document his travel.  For their own work, they will be creating three postcards.  One will be their past, one the present, and one their future.  They will be connecting the three cards and displaying them as mobiles.  I love this project because they learn about different places as they help each other find appropriate images for their work in the magazines.  It's fun to hear their descriptions of places they have been.  They also get to know each other a little bit better, and I can get to know them.  Here are some samples from this week!

Melanie is presently in Chicago

In the past, Salvador went to Six Flags.

Lily is presently in Chicago.

In the past, Quin went to Florida.

Monica is in Chicago.

In the past, Jaiden went to Hawaii. 

In the past, Alex went to Ecuador

In the past, Adrian went to Ohio.

In the past, Antonio went to see the Ninja Turtle movie.

In the past, Lila went to NYC!